Lions Vs New Zealand Preview

The first Test of the British and Irish Lions tour of New Zealand is now only days away and the speculation is mounting as to the makeup of Warren Gatland’s Test team. Looking at the XV he has selected to take on the Chiefs you can rule out many of the 23 making it into the Test 23 for the first Test.

Looking at the makeup of the bench in particular where he has selected Alun Wyn Jones and Cory Hill to back up Courtney Lawes and Iain Henderson , 3 of those 4 will be battling for only one spot on the Lions bench because Sam Warburton will be the back row cover on Saturday.

 Justin Tipuric can feel very aggrieved not to be in the shake up for the first Test. He has just been squeezed out by the strong showing of Peter O Mahony and Sean O Brien in particular. The team nearly selects itself going on team selection for the Chiefs game.

The squad has been split in two groups as has been the case in past tours. Gatland can say every place is still up for grabs but going on the opening two weeks of the tour he has stuck to what he knows best.

He has selected Ireland’s test centre pairing of Henshaw and Payne but this has come too late to get involved in Test number 1 but that isn’t to say that this partnership won’t get a chance in Test 2 or 3. Jonathan Joseph didn’t do enough in his few appearances to warrant his selection for test number 1. The pairing of Te’o and Davies looked nailed on even in defeat. Like O Driscoll and Roberts in 2009 or O Driscoll and Henderson in 2001, this partnership loos like the most likely to cause damage to New Zealand.

Looking to New Zealand they have warmed up with a 78-0 win over Samoa in Eden Park and won the game pulling up. They got the chance to try out combinations in the game and Steve Hansen although he will know his team didn’t really get tested will realise that the Lions although they have struggled at times on this Tour this is the moment all the warm up games have been leading to and they will came out with all guns blazing but I feel this particular approach won’t cut it when it comes to facing New Zealand and although you know what to expect when you take New Zealand on it is easier said than done to try and stop them.

The Lions have bludgeoned there to wins over the Provincial Barbarians and The Crusaders and have strangled those teams at scrum time and in the maul aswell.

These two aspects of play have lead the Lions to victory but the sledge hammer approach will not be the way to beat the All Blacks and unfortunately over the last two weeks The Lions have failed to show anything other than grunt and have failed to deliver on the chances they have created  and you just will not beat the All Blacks if you can’t cross the white wash. In certain games the Lions have created 3 on 2’s on 2 on 1’s and have failed for the most part to finish each of those chances off.

Last Saturday the tries they scored where a penalty try and a try from a driving maul. While they were great to watch these two facets of play won’t be good enough to beat the All Blacks to give yourself an opportunity to win a Test Series.

The most disappointing aspect of the last few weeks is the lack of ability when it comes to delivering a killer pass that will enable the receiver to try and take his man on. As I have said before some may say I am striving for perfection too often when it comes to taking the All Blacks on but you have to be whiter than white to beat them in most cases in particular down in New Zealand.  

When New Zealand get a chance to score a try they will convert 9 times out of 10 and for this reason alone you can be sure they will punish any lapse in concentration by the Lions this weekend. They are a team that strives for perfection and when you think they have reached that level they kick on time and again. They conveyer belt of talent is so strong in all positions that they can call upon many players who will come in and do a good job.  

The chance to play the Lions comes around every 12 years and these players know they may not do this again so now is there one chance to write they names in lights and be forever remembered. The challenge that faces the Lions is huge but remember if you achieve a Test Series victory you like the New Zealand Team of 2005 will be forever remembered….. All the very best to the Lions…..

I will now select the two teams I think will face off next Saturday…

New Zealand XV

15 Ben Smith

14 Reiko Ioane  

13 Anton Leinert Brown

12 Sonny Bill Williams

11 Julian Savea

10 Beauden Barrett

9 Aaron Smith

8 Kieran Read

7 Sam Cane

6 Akira Ioane

5 Sam Whitelock

4 Brodie Retallick

3 Owen Franks

2 Codie Taylor

1 Joe Moody

-

16 Nathan Harris

17 Wyatt Crockett

18 Charlie Faumina

19 Scott Barrett

20 Matt Todd

21 TJ Perenara

22 Jordie Barrett

23 Waisake Naholo

 

Lions XV

15 Leigh Halfpenny

14 Anthony Watson

13 Jonathan Davies

12 Owen Farrell

11 Liam Williams

10 Jonathan Sexton

9 Conor Murray

8 Taulupe Faletau

7 Sean O Brien

6 Peter O Mahony

5 Maro Itoje

4 George Kruis

3 Tadgh Furlong

2 Jamie George

1 Mako Vunipola

-

16 Ken Owens

17 Jack Mc Grath

18 Kyle Sinkler

19 Justin Tipuric

20 Alun Wyn Jones

21 Rhys Webb

22 Ben Te’o

23 Elliott Daly

 

By

Cian Mc Gibney

19/06/2017

The Lions – Trouble Ahead

There may be trouble ahead for the Lions after a second mid week defeat after a 23-22 defeat at the hands of the Highlanders in Dunedin. The players that faced the Highlanders will now be at a slight disadvantage when it comes down to Test selection. They face the Maori All Blacks this weekend and then take on the Chiefs before the First Test against Steve Hansen’s men.

Time is now against Gatland and his squad and with a record of 4 games played and a strike rate of 2 wins and 2 defeats, confidence must be really brittle. The Lions have thrown everything at the first few games and have come up really short in their quest to find the ideal XV to face the All Blacks in Test number 1.

The game plan the Lions seem hell bent on employing is a well versed but extremely narrow minded way of playing the game and again we are seeing that the difference between both sides of the equator in the way the game is played. Each player playing against the Lions is very happy to have ball in hand and very willing to take on the Lions defence at every turn and are scoring some wonderful tries as a result. They are however well capable of tightening their game up as was in full evidence yesterday during the Highlanders game.

I have watched on over the past two weeks and cringed at the way the Lions have tried to bludgeon their way to victory. You just can’t go south of the equator and think what works up here north of the equator will work down south.  Looking at what has happened , passing which I have to stress is a basic requirement of the game of rugby is severely lacking and when you see players struggling to finish chances off because they can’t pass it is extremely disappointing.

People may say I am looking for too much perfection but let me tell you if the All Blacks get the magical 3 on 2 overlap you can be damn sure they will convert it into 5 or 7 points. This is a key element in trying to beat the All Blacks , the approach Ireland used in 2016 in Chicago where they put pressure on a good kick chase will only really work once and you need to have a plan B and C.

The Lions need to put the battering ram away and try and be clever in possession , there is a time and a place for the battering ram in a game of 80 minutes but you can’t beat the All Blacks using it for the full 80.

Rob Howley really needs to buck up his ideas in terms of how to attack the All Blacks. He has some terrific players at his disposal like Owen Farrell , Rhys Webb alongside Sean O Brien and Courtney Lawes in the pack. It is a real shame that as I have pointed out the basic skill of passing is really lacking in this team and I don’t know how they will fix this issue before Test 1. It is a real shame that we are again coming back to the basics of the game in regards to paid professionals.

 Yes the All Blacks put all those skills under intense pressure but to beat them you have to live with it and come up with solutions. In the scrum barring yesterday the Lions seemed to have found a weapon to use and if they could keep that facet going they may be able to launch strike plays from there.

Owen Farrell and Jonathan Sexton have struck up a good partnership and this could also mean good things for the Lions if the team can find the key to unlock all that attacking talent within the group. On the evidence of the past two weeks I don’t hold out too much hope for a Test Series win a first since 1971. I hope that I will be proven wrong in the coming weeks.

Here is my Team to face New Zealand on Saturday week.

15 Elliot Daly

14 Anthony Watson

13 Jonathan Davies

12 Owen Farrell

11 George North

10 Jonathan Sexton

9 Conor Murray

8 Toby Faletau

7 Justin Tipuric

6 Maro Itoje

5 Alun Wyn Jones

4 George Kruis

3 Tadgh Furlong

2 Jamie George

1 Jack Mc Grath

-

16 Ken Owens

17 Joe Marler

18 Kyle Sinkler

19 Courtney Lawes

20 Sean O Brien

21 Rhys Webb

22 Jonathan Joseph

23 Leigh Halfpenney

By

Cian Mc Gibney

14/06/2017

Crusaders Vs Lions So the Lions got back to winning ways with a solid display that saw them beat the current leaders of Super Rugby the Crusaders winning a tight tussle by 12-3. Owen Farrell started at out half with Conor Murray making his first start of this tour. The Lions had been defeated on Wednesday morning by 22-16. This game was crucial for the whole tour. This win was built on solid foundations of a solid scrum and line out. These two facets of the game will mean that this group of Lions will have plenty to be positive about heading to Dunedin next Tuesday to take the Highlanders before facing the Maori All Blacks in Rotarua next Saturday. The Crusaders still at moments throughout this game showed why rugby in New Zealand is so revered. They play at a pace that even the Lions can’t live with at times. Jack Goodhue looks to be an All Black in waiting although with the talent in the centre for New Zealand he may have to wait another few months before getting a Test debut with New Zealand. Injuries to both Stuart Hogg and Jonathan Davies will rule them out of contention for the Highlanders but they will go through return to play protocols and will be hopeful of being involved against the Maori All Blacks. The combination of Murray and Farrell looked at home at half back and led the Lions around the field and when the opportunities arose the Lions took their chances by kicking four penalties. One issue that again rose its head again with the Lions is the lack of sparkle in attack and that particular issue will need to be addressed in the next two weeks before the opening Test against the All Blacks. On 6 different occasions the Lions broke through the Crusaders defence and each attack faltered with a missed pass or slow ball or poor accuracy in terms of passing. Guys who will hope to be involved with the Test side will seriously need to up their skill level. On all 6 occasions that the Lions broke through one feels that the All Blacks would take full advantage of each chance and have 6 tries scored. The game this morning could have been much easier had the Lions taken at least two of the try scoring chances they created. This aspect of play will really need to looked at to stand any chance of beating the All Blacks in two weeks time. You can also see the Test team taking shape as the games have progressed. In my humble opinion a number of players are already assured of a Test spot barring injury to strike in the next few games. Players like Murray , Faletau , Farrell and Jamie George looking very likely to be involved in the first Test. Slowly but surely the Lions game plan is evolving and you can see it beginning to take shape but Rob Howley will really need to get his players to sharpen up on the training pitch and learn on the fly how to be clinical when the chance happens. It is second nature to a New Zealander but the Lions players need to learn that it is not only a guy in a black shirt that can finish a chance off. All road now lead to Dunedin and the Highlanders where another couple of All Blacks may lie in wait namely Ben , Aaron Smith and Waisake Naholo. Only time will tell if these guys will be given an early shot at the Lions. Warren Gatland has to be happy with how this morning went but he will recognise that there is plenty of work to do in the next two weeks. By Cian Mc Gibney 10/06/2017

Lions Vs Blues

The Lions will face the Auckland Blues on Wednesday and after the 13-7 win over the New Zealand Provincial Barbarians last Saturday. Some of the players that played in the game last week have been asked to double up with a number of players getting a place on the bench and even at this early stage after only one game a number of players will need to produce a stronger display after some poor performances last weekend.

Here’s hoping that the performance last Saturday isn’t the type of performance we will be seeing over the next 6 weeks.  At times the game plan didn’t seem to be working and the tempo with which we had been told the Lions would play was severely lacking it was only when a number of changes were made that the Lions began to come up with some exciting plays and slowly but surely began to squeeze the Babas but credit to the Barbarians they stuck to a fast paced game and they caused the Lions a number of issues in defence but thanks to strong defending the Lions survived on a number of occasions.

If you have watched rugby in New Zealand in the last few years, you will know that all the teams play a very fast game that will test all defences that come up against it. The Blues for their part just beat the Queensland Reds in Super Rugby and will relish the chance to take on the very best of British and Irish Lions who will hand out 11 debuts in the match day 23.

There will be 4 Irish Lions involved in the starting XV on Wednesday namely Jack Mc Grath , CJ Stander and the Irish centre pairing of Robbie Henshaw and Jared Payne who will get a chance to impress Warren Gatland and show what they can do , like Brian O Driscoll and Rob Henderson did in 2001 when they came from nowhere to be paired in the Test team to face Australia.

Gatland has again gone for familiar partnerships with Webb and Biggar at half back and Henshaw and Payne in the centre that familiarity can only help in the quest to beat the Blues. Tana Umaga played against the Lions in 2005 and captained the All Blacks to a 3-0 win , he is currently coaching the Blues and will want to create a piece of history by playing and coaching against the Lions.

After such an underwhelming display last Saturday the Lions will really want to get into the game early and try and set down a marker but coming back to the tempo that New Zealand teams play at it will be interesting to watch how the Lions will defend against the Blues.

The pressure is on Gatland’s men after the opening game and the time is now to set down a marker and a warning that the Lions are here to win a Test Series….

By

Cian Mc Gibney

05/06/2017

Lions Tour 2017

So the first XV of the 2017 Lions Tour has been announced and now the talking can stop and all the players can now fully focus on playing games and the end game of a Test Series vs The All Blacks. Looking closely at the selection for game 1 , he has given the first bite of the cherry to all the players that have been involved over the past few weeks.

Gatland has gone for the tried and trusted in the back row with an all Welsh back row and he has gone for a Scotland / Ireland axis at half back with Greg Laidlaw and Jonathan Sexton picked to start the opening game.  He has also gone for an all England pairing of Ben Te’o and Jonathan Joseph in the centre so you can see already that Gatland is happy to pick combinations that are familiar to each other which can only bode well for the Lions in the coming weeks.

This tour has been criticised for the amount of games the Lions will play before they face New Zealand in the opening Test . I would see it as a damned if you do and damned if you don’t scenario where no matter what the Lions did before the first Test they would be criticised. Gatland as I have shown has gone for what he knows best in particular in the back row and he will hope that familiar combinations will work throughout this campaign.

Looking to the bench , you have some real quality to come in and improve the team as the game enters the second half . Guys like Owen Farrell and Rhys Webb will be chomping at the bit to get stuck in and see how they get on.  The one thing this bench will offer is impact in open play and one feels that the Lions will need to show from Saturday that they can play a number of ways and they can’t just play one way and think that will be enough to get past all 5 Super rugby teams and the two International sides they face namely New Zealand and the Maori.

The New Zealand Barbarians have selected Bryn Gatland at 10 and he will need to be at the peak of his powers to deal with an onslaught from the Lions back row who I am sure will be hell bent on denying him time and space on the ball.

He has been selected alongside the very experienced Dwayne Sweeney who will play at number 12. An ex Irish schoolboy player will be at Tighthead for the New Zealand Babas Oliver Jager left Ireland at 17 and has been playing in New Zealand since then , he is in the Crusaders set up and will relish his battle with Joe Marler .

Looking to what is to come over the next 6 weeks , it is going to be a hell of a white knuckle ride for players , coaches , support staff , media , supporters and anybody else connected to the tour so sit back and enjoy what may come your way over the next few weeks. We can only wait and see can Gatland’s class of 2017 emulate John Dawes crew of 71 and win a Test Series in the land of the long white cloud……

By

Cian Mc Gibney

01/06/2017